On 9th September Wednesday, a pioneering Indian female entrepreneur shed light into India’s growing MedTech and BioTech industry amid concerns of a second Covid-19 wave. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, kickstarted ‘The India Series’ by asserting that another “lockdown” is not a solution for coronavirus; a strategy previously re-iterated by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he drives “back to work” campaign in his bid to revive the British economy.
Her comments arrived as it was reported that the phase III development trials of Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine were temporarily halted due to a possible adverse reaction in a trial participant. Reports of probable failures of the vaccine created a stir across countries and among corporates with some scientists indicating that “there may never be a commercial vaccine for coronavirus as in the case for MERS/SARS.”
Don’t expect a vaccine to arrive at the end of this year
Responding to Asian Voice’s question about mitigating a second Covid-19 wave, Dr. Shaw said, “We should not be pessimistic about finding a vaccine.
“There should not be any toppling of timelines in the development of a vaccine or take any shortcuts. The temporary halt of the Oxford vaccine has demonstrated that there are considerable risks and adverse effects which need to be monitored when it is being administered on healthy people during clinical trials. And a considerable number of people can be suffering through such side-effects. So, we need to read and analyse a year’s data and safety levels gathered from the feedback on the thousands of trial participants.
“I am optimistic that there will be a vaccine. But do not expect it to arrive in the next three months as everyone has been aspiring towards. There has been a lot of politics around an early release of the Covid-19 vaccine and I hope this temporary halt cautions our leaders about the safety and regulation limitations.”
But on Sunday, 13th September Oxford University and AstraZeneca reported that they would resume the international clinical trial of the coronavirus vaccine. It was announced as a rapid review by the trial’s independent safety review committee and national regulators concluded that it is safe to resume inoculating new participants. 18,000 individuals have registered the AZD1222 vaccine as part of the trial across UK, US, South Africa, Brazil and India.
Covid-19 Christmas with a focus on recovery and alternate treatment
Dr. Shaw’s belief that a vaccine can potentially be launched in commercial markets only next year is perhaps seconded by Johnson in his cautious warning of a Covid-19 Christmas this year. The Prime Minister has said it was “too early to say” whether it would be possible to have large family gatherings over the festive period. He has recently imposed a blanket ban on social meetings of more than six people as the government experiments with restriction rules while presently denying any intentions of another nationwide lockdown even as the UK appears to be moving towards a potential second Covid-19 wave.
Besides discussing about the vaccine, Dr. Shaw also stressed on the need to focus on treatment and recovery alternatives. She re-asserted the need for development and manufacturing of drugs such as Dexamethasone and Remdesivir which should be both affordable and accessible to bridge the health and economic inequality across different sections of every country including the UK.
Hosted by King’s Business School and National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU), the webinar was moderated by Professor Kamini Gupta of Kings' Business School and Sanam Arora, Chairperson of NISAU. It primarily focussed on how India can leverage its expertise in Science and Technology to emerge stronger in a post-Covid world.
Dr. Shaw who is the chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited, a biotechnology company in India, said, “Technology has to play an important role in bridging this gap about bringing affordable and digital healthcare. We have to address the skew towards urban areas and make provision of healthcare equitable. We have to move from very poor healthcare to healthcare for all.”
The discussion further addressed the entrepreneurship ecosystem in India; obstacles that women entrepreneurs face in a climate of crunched funding, and the role of sustainability in igniting India's growth engine. The event marked the launch of ‘The India Series’, a series of events with thought leaders to explore why India has not transitioned into the global superpower despite its potential to become one. After each event, Dr. Gupta and Ms. Arora from NISAU, will lead a research effort on a topic championed by the speaker of the event.
The team will also invite interest from audience members to participate in this research effort. This is extremely important for both co-chairs Dr Gupta and Miss Arora, who said, “There is immense energy among young people and professionals in India to contribute to India’s growth and development in a meaningful way. We are creating a platform to channel this energy in a constructive way to involve them in creating a pathway to impact for India.”
The theme of this webinar was curated following a question posed by Dr. Shaw, “How can India create equitable healthcare access for all, across rural and urban areas; and what is the role of technology in facilitating this? How can Prime Minister Modi’s National Digital Health Mission be turned into reality?”
The next event will be held in October 2020, with further details announced in the near future.
